With a vast array of steakhouses vying for your attention, it does take a brave restaurateur to stand their ground and stick with the traditional offerings. London Steakhouse Co. is one such restaurant and the man behind the venture is Marco Pierre White.
Their recent renovation has added a touch more colour to the venue; whereas the original look was overwhelming white, now at least the chairs have a warm maroon colour. They are quirky framed cartoons hung on the walls to add a more personable touch to the restaurant.
In terms of the menu, there are 2 ways of looking at it: no doubt some people will consider it lacking in imagination whilst others will praise the emphasis on classical dishes cooked in the traditional way. There are no fancy puree or quinoa and kale on their menu, just dishes that you would have grown up with and loved.
I had some luxurious, oily tasting smoked salmon with a generous dollop of crème fraîche. There were blinis and capers, just what you would expect at any top London dining institution. The perfect complement for this would be a glass of sparkling wine and they offer Prosecco here from £8.50 per glass.
Steaks are the highlight here and they have all the typical cuts you would expect such as rump, sirloin, rib eye and fillet. The beef is all sourced from the best grass-fed cattle from renowned butcher Aubrey Allen.
I opted for a lean tasting centre-cut fillet, which was cooked just to the right temperature for medium rare with the meat beautifully pink in colour. There was a good chew to the fillet, although I would say it did lack the complexity in taste compared to USDA or Wagyu beef, but you wouldn’t expect a traditional British steakhouse to be offering those cuts.
The sticky toffee pudding looked and tasted as quintessentially British as you would expect. The pudding was dense but moistened with the melting ice cream and the toffee sauce. The portion sizes were just right overall, leaving you satisfied without a bloated feeling.
London Steakhouse Co. won’t be to everyone’s taste, but if you enjoy the feeling of a traditional comfort blanket around you, this is the restaurant for you.
baldwin@townfish.com